TransKerala

Feeling Blue these days???? Here is your chance to experience once in 12 years a ntural phenomenon in #Kerala if you happens to be here now. Head to Munnar, the queen of south Indian hills to see the  magnificent NeelaKurinji ( Strobilanthes Kunthiana) blossoming  a stunning natural visual effects of these purple flowers.   The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has announced a new service to Kallipara in Idukki in Santhanpara village, about 3hrs ride from Munnar town through Anayirangal.

This specially organised trip would leave from KSRTC Munnar Depot at 9am and shall arrive Kallipara by 1pm and can spend about 2 hours enjoying the Purple Bloom before returning at 3pm. The return ticket would cost Rs.300/person which can be bought from the depot.

For  this and for more information and advise, please contact TransKerala Holidays , transkeralaglobal@gmail.com  FB/Insta/Whatsapp—transkerala /+91 8129388444

The Monsoon rain’s been hesitant this year sofar in the Southern  Peninsular India, Kerala in Particular when it must be bucketing. Monsoon weather is also the most ideal for holistic ancient Ayurveda therapy. So the month of June is for Ayurveda and Yoga.

Today,  21 June as the world over celebrate International Day of Yoga, here Yogakshethra.Org, a well-known yoga center in Kerala hovers over and get to know more in-depth about its goodness and observants. 

Goodness:

1. Yoga is a great stress reliever and helps reduce anxiety. I suffer from anxiety and I guarantee everyone stresses out from time to time. I notice that I feel calmer, more composed and happier when I do yoga regularly. Between the deep breathing, the flow of new asanas positive affirmations, even when the class feels difficult, I guarantee you will feel better once class is over.

2. Yoga is a great workout. Even if you aren’t engaging in “hot yoga” and sweating your brains out, yoga is still a fantastic way to exercise and lose weight. You improve your flexibility, stamina, strength and tone your muscles.

3. Yoga improves your brain power. Yoga and meditation are great for your mind. It improves your memory, helps you focus, challenges your inner strength and increases the blood flow to your brain. A workout that actually helps you become smarter? Sign me up!

4. Yoga is a great detox for your body. Yoga is the only exercise that massages your internal organs and helps rid the toxins out of your body.

Observants:

1. Price of joining a yoga studio. Yoga can be expensive! A great tip is to sign up for local coupon deals and grab timely monthly offers at Yogakshethra studio at beautiful Varkala beach . I once found a Living Social deal for $25 for 25 classes at a local yoga studio. Also, if you really can’t afford to take a class, buy a yoga DVD or look for free yoga on Youtube.

2. That newbie feeling. Starting yoga from scratch in a class full of people who know what they’re doing can be intimidating. Even though that feeling is enough for some people to skip the class altogether, resist the urge. Start with the beginner class and remember that most of the people feel the same way you do. Also, remember that the great thing about yoga is that it isn’t a competition and you can do most of the poses with your eyes closed!

3. It can be hard to find the right fit. Now there are countless yoga studios and classes in most areas. There are countless teachers in those studios. Not every class or teacher will be the right fit for you. It can be discouraging to take classes and find that you don’t enjoy their specific type of teaching. Don’t give up though, keep researching and trying different teachers or studios until you find one that you feel comfortable in and that you love.

4. It can be hard to add something else into your busy schedule. It can be difficult to add in a yoga class if you have a busy lifestyle. Think of it as a workout and a relaxation session all-in-one that will help you conquer the rest of your day. Find a time that works best for you and schedule it the same way you would an appointment.

There are pros and cons to everything, but I definitely recommend you trying yoga. Even if you give it a chance and find that it isn’t the right exercise for you, at least you gave it a fighting chance. I hope yoga helps you calm your mind, tone your body and gives you a great new hobby.

Tell me all about your yoga journey whether you are a beginner, want to try it soon, or have been a yogi for years!

For more details, please contact http://www.yogakshethra.org

The legend behind celebrating world renowned Snake Boat Race of Kerala dates back to early 14th century when the feudal  Kings  fought for supremacy amongst  pricinely states like Chempakasherry ( Ambalapuzha), Kyamkulam, Thekumkoor ( Chengnasserry), Vadakumkoor ( Kottayam) in central Kerala.

Kerala Snake Boat Racers

Kerala Snake Boat Racers

Kerala Snake Boat Racers

Maorist NewZeland

Maorist NewZeland

These boats/canoes were mostly used by the warriors for the fighting in those days.

Kuttanadu is a vast expanse of water at certain seasons. This part consisting of water-logged area of central Travancore is a region extending to 34,443 acres of agricultural land. It is traversed by different rivers, namely Pamba, Achankovil and Manimala . These rivers wash into Vembanadu Lake . Some Years ago, the present Kuttanadu was part of the Vembanadu Lake . The adventurous and illustrious people of this particular part of the country were engaged in the process of reclamation of water immersed land for the last one thousand and four hundred years. The reclamation of land still continues.

The inhabitants of Kuttanadu are by occupation agriculturists. They engage themselves in the cultivation of paddy and coconut trees on reclaimed land. As natural conditions allow raising only one crop of paddy, the rest of the time the people get immersed in festivities.

As country boats are sheer necessities in the life of the people of Kuttanadu and a large area of garden land is prohibitively luxurious to organize other sports, it is no wonder that they found out boats as their means of enjoyments. The origin of the present boat races is very recent. Formerly people used to assemble in boats like Chundan, Oadi, Veppu, etc., to perform a colorful and musical procession. Later only to create enthusiasm and to inculcate the sporting spirits among the people of the area, the race systems were introduced. The snake boats festival in Aranmula is still a religious procession. The present boat races in Kuttanad have their own history connected to the rulers of the time. Chambakulam Moolam Boat Race is considered to be the most ancient.

THE RAJAS OF YORE

The story of these battling boats goes back 400 years in history when the rajas of the erstwhile principalities of Chempakasseri (Ambalappuzha), Kayamkulam ,Thekkumkoor (Changanacherry) and Vadakkumkoor (Kottayam) in the old Travancore area, which are part of the present Alappuzha district and Kottayam district, frequently crossed swords on the backwaters of Kuttanad. The Chempakasserry troops suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the superior navy their rivals commanded. It soon dawned on the Chempakasserry Raja that the real defect was with his war boats, which were sluggish and cumber.

He called all the boat architects in the land to his court and told them of his desire to have better, faster boats for the troops. After days of hard labor, a man who was reputed to be the best boat architect in Chempakasserry, Koduppunna Venkitanarayanan Asari, came up with a specimen which satisfied the raja’s requirements. It had speed, maneuverability and capacity to carry 100 able-bodied warriors on board and its eel-like construction was most ideal for launching an ambush since it could be easily kept concealed behind the overhanging bushes on the river banks. The Asari was generously rewarded and in the subsequent battles, the Chempakasseri Raja emerged victorious.

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WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 5 JUNE 2018. HOST NATION INDIA

Once late Martin Luther King said, ‘’ I still shall plant my apple tree even if the world go into pieces tomorrow’’, it seems that the world we live  is edging to this dreadful reality.

Yes, the World Environment Day is here finally, and is a proud day for all Indians to celebrate this day as India is the host nation for World Environment Day 2018. This year’s theme is to ‘’End Plastic Pollution’’. It’s a day commemorating the colossal impact due to human beings’ unscrupulous greediness on himself, his own environment including mother nature and society . This unfathomable surge on materialistic lifestyle has not only been degrading and eliminating his own existence but also of fellow living beings including natures bountiful flora and fauna .It’s estimated that there shall soon be more plastic in the ocean than fish as we buy a m

illion plastic bottle every minute and discards nearly 13million tonnes plastic into the ocean beds knowingly or unknowingly. Well, the sad stories continues with our air  & noise pollutions too, urban air pollution is very much related to most of the modern days diseases including cancer , pulmonary and cardiac  diseases.

We , the Kerala Hotel & Restaurant Association ( KHRA) Kovalam, the famous beach destination of Kerala along with Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology Koavalam, the India Coast Guard Vizhinjam, the local  Auto Taxi associations a

long with Transkerala Holidays London- a small  start up UK holiday company is dedicating  this  day to mark our respect for our  Environment by  plan

ting saplings at the IHMCT premise on 5 June 2018.Local businesses are attending the event to get the awareness of safe guarding  Environment & preserving it. This event is also partnered and supported by SKAL London Club, Envirate Helsinki  & GUILD T & T London.

As the late US president Abraham Lincoln quoted as saying ‘’ The Environment is everything that isn’t me’’, we may have to say Environment is everything that is

 you as we are the true representation of our own environment and we are not plastic embodiments. Come lets join the fellow Indians and millions globally to change our own unprecedented cruelty to our mother nature- our environment and begin a life style of living healthier, eating healthier by eating lesser meat and also by reducing, recycling, reusing and refusing deadly plastic usage in our lives that has already got into our food cycle.

Sebastian S CHACKO

Transkerala Holidays London

ELEPHANT CAPARISON (Nettipattam in Malayalam)  is the traditional caparison ornament worn by elephants during the Pooram festival in Kerala. Legend has it that the Nettipattam was designed by Lord Brahma for Airavath, the white elephant of Lord Indra. These glittering ornaments that adorn the forehead of the temple elephants are a graphical composition of gold plated hemispherical copper or brass beads, of different shapes and sizes. These are arranged together as pixel art, signifying the pantheon of Gods in Hinduism. Nettipattam ornaments are made by the atelier of master craftsmen who have served the great temples of Guruvayur and Thrissur since generations.

These arduous crafts are becoming very dear to ornate ones houesholds, a standard size gold plated caparison would costs about $2000-3000 in place of plastic caparison( polymer) which costs roughly about $100/piece.

South Bank London witnessed #ONAM – The harvest festival of Kerala during the early September were the participants had a rare chance to integrate with Onam’s unique charector of laying #Pookalam,  the flower rangoli and the sumptous traditional Onam Sadhya ( Veg: Feast) with over 20 dishes served on a plantain leaf.

The event rounded off  by visiting an inspiring artistic installation of Maria Areco who installed  plastic wastes collected  from Thames river  called ‘Future Dust‘  under the ageis of  Totally Thames foundation.

Transkeral’s  Carbon Neutral policy  covered the carbon emission of the evnt and its particpants by planting trees  with #TreesForCities during the event.

Kochi in God’s Own Country Kerala witnessed  the flag of 87 travel enthusiasts from across the globe to disover India on a rare mode of transport — on a Tri Wheel or the Indian Tuk Tuk  covering 3000km.

They have to cover  the distance in 14 days and are not allowed to use any GPS at all but the sign boards and local villagers help.

The placid  backwaters of Punnamada lake in Alleppey ( Alappuzha)  also known as the ‘Venice of the East’  witnessed a thrilling finish to end  the 65th Nehru trophy Snake Boar Race in Kerala yesterday with the new comer Gabrieyal boat club winning the pole position by 1/10th of second from many years champions like Karichal chundan, Kanaikiry, Payipad n others.

The best thing I like about Vagamon is it’s refreshing. I feel re-energized when I stretch my hands …Miya George

Read more at: http://travel.manoramaonline.com/travel/celebrity-travel/miya-george-vagamon-travel-favourite-destination.html

At the glittering ceremony held at  ITC Maurya Hotel, New Delhi last week, Kerala was voted as the Runner up  in the category of India’s most favourite Leisure Destination by  Conde Nast Reader’s  Travel Awards  2015 . Last year over a million domestic travellers  along with 0.8million overseas travellers visited #Kerala-God’s Own Country to relish its natural beauty and culture, one of the world’s most sought after all time destination.#Iamgoingtokerala tomorrow, are you coming?